Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Evil-Doers Are Not Determined By Race - They're Determined By The Power and Opportunity To Do Evil

Reality_Check says:
."Dr. Wattree, I understand you mean well, but I respectfully disagree. History and current events simply do not support your assertions. The reason why is because the majority of white people are either racist themselves OR they know people who harm others through racism and they remain SILENT of such atrocities. This is the commission vs. omission principle. Most white people are guilty of racism by omission, meaning that they are aware of racism, when and how it is applied, and the victims of racism, but they do NOTHING to either speak or act against it. This is because white people are keenly aware that they benefit from white supremacy and racism, so they are not willing to sacrifice their privilege to act against racism. They know too well which side their bread is buttered on. This is why they do not oppose racism en masse. You cannot benefit from and simultaneously oppose racism. That is illogical.."I don’t want to hear about what whites have done in the past because the truth is, despite this, the majority of them say and do nothing to act against the every day racism that they know to exist. What you are referencing is a very small faction of white people that protested and demonstrated side by side with blacks during the Civil Rights. Those whites certainly did not represent the average white person during that day. Don’t even get me started on the Vietnam War. Whites were protesting because they did not want to see THEIR sons killed in the war. Their protests had nothing to do with black people. That was a terrible example to underscore your point. The average white person’s silence where racism is concerned makes them just as complicit as the rabid racists who use their influence to oppress others. If this were not the case, then you wouldn’t see such discrimination in employment, housing, education, medical treatment, and the legal system where blacks are concerned. In order for racism to survive and THRIVE it takes more than just a few rabid racist to make it work. It absolutely requires the complicit approval of the MAJORITY of the white race to make it a success.."Now, don’t let this suggest that I’m speaking in absolute terms by saying that ALL whites are racist. This isn’t what I’m saying. I am, however, saying that the majority of whites (meaning the average) practice racism either through action or inaction. If this weren’t the case then you wouldn’t see such disparities in the areas of life mentioned above and you’d see a lot more vocal opponents to the “system.”'
.Wattree:.
First, I want to point out right off the bat that I’m not a doctor. I haven’t earn that title so it would be a disservice to those who have put in the effort to allow that point to pass without comment.
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But with respect to your "Commission vs. Omission Principle," it's invalid, so I have to respectfully disagree with your point of view. People are individuals, and ALL people should ALWAYS be assessed on their own individual merit. That’s one of the primary arguments used to invalidate White racism, so it would be inconsistent, hypocritical, and disingenuous not to adhere to it with respect to White people. One of the angriest complaints that comes out of the Black community is regarding the tendency by some to broad-brush and profile Black people as being all alike, so we shouldn't 'profile' others in that way. If we fall into the trap of making that mistake it will eventually be used against us. Let me give you example of that.
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If we use your argument that White inaction against racism is in itself a form of racism, logical consistency will demand that we also accept many of the arguments made by bigots against Black people. Specifically, you said, “Most white people are guilty of racism by omission, meaning that they are aware of racism, when and how it is applied, and the victims of racism, but they do NOTHING to either speak or act against it.”
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If we use that standard, we also tend to validate many White bigots' contention that ALL (or MOST) Black people are criminals by virtue of the fact that they KNOW about crime yet do nothing to act against it. So through extension that implies that White cops are correct in profiling ALL Black people. I'm sure that's not your position, but logical consistency demands that you take that position in order to embrace your "omission" theory. So the fundamental problem with trying to indict ALL White people (or all of ANY group) as being the same is that the sword cuts in both directions. Any argument that we use alleging that White people are ALL alike, contradicts our insistence that all Black are NOT alike.
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In addition, many White people don't speak out about racism (on the job, for example) for the very same reason that Black people are not calling the police and going out on the block pointing out who's dealing drugs, or who robbed the liquor store - they want to survive. self-preservation is their number one priority, and it trumps any civic-minded proclivities they may harbor. They see their first responsibility as protecting themselves and their family. It's human nature not to rock the boat, so to read anything else into it is based on an unsubstantiable assumption.
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There’s only two kinds of people in the world – good people, and bad people, period. I've heard some make the argument that the White man has PROVEN his tendency toward brutality by his very history. That argument SEEMS to work, until it’s closely examined. Because if you look at the history of man as a whole, it'll become immediately clear that we all have a history of brutality. The only thing that distinguishes one group from another is the power, resources, and opportunity to be brutal.. Even as we speak, Black people are in Nigeria killing one another with the kind of brutality, and in numbers, that we can’t even imagine over here:
."YAOUNDE, Cameroon (AP) — The Nigeria-based extremist group Boko Haram on Monday threatened neighboring countries Niger and Chad, warning the fighters were prepared to carry out suicide bombings in the countries sending troops to help fight the militants..“The Islamic extremist group has fought a five-year insurgency against Nigeria’s government, leaving 10,000 people dead last year alone. The violence has forced some 157,000 people to seek refuge in Niger, while 40,000 others have gone to Cameroon and 17,000 are in Chad, the U.N. said. Almost 1 million Nigerians are internally displaced, according to the country’s own statistics.”
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So again, people are people; some are good, and others are bad. What seems to separate us in terms of evil and brutality is not so much the color of our skin, but the power and opportunity to carry out acts of evil and brutality.
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Finally, I've had this discussion many times before with Black people who want to insist that White people are somehow uniquely flawed. Then when I bring out the issues that I've mentioned above they want to know, "Why are you going to such lengths to defend those people?" But the fact is, I'm not trying to defend White people at all; I'm defending logical and efficient thinking, as I always do.
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We must always give truth priority over ideology or what tends to make us feel warm and fuzzy inside, because fuzzy thinking is the primary weapon that's been used against Black people for the past 400 years. Thus, truth is the very best defense of both ourselves, and humanity as a whole. We must ALWAYS follow truth, regardless to where it leads, and who's ox it gores, because truth will tell us - and everyone concerned - that racism is no longer the war. At this point racism is merely a weapon of war. We are now in a class war, and the enemy doesn't care any more about poor and middle-class White people than he does Blacks. So if we are to survive, it's time for ALL like-minded people to come together and put all other issues aside, because DIVISION is the enemy's most potent weapon. That's primary reason that Rush Limbaugh and Fox News even exists.
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Eric L. Wattree

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BIO

Eric L. Wattree is a writer, poet, and musician, born in Los Angeles. He’s been a columnist for The Los Angeles Sentinel, Black Star News, The Atlanta Post, and is a member of the Sigma Delta Chi Society of Professional Journalists (http://www.spj.org/). He’s also the author of "A Message From the Hood."Some of the greatest minds I’ve ever known held court while sitting on empty milk crates in the parking lots of ghetto liquor stores, while some of the weakest minds I’ve ever known roamed the halls of academia in pursuit of credentials over knowledge.Eric L. Wattreehttp://www.whohub.com/wattree

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